Police vow to catch ‘shocking’ knife attackers who slashed horses

Nick Charity

Two young horses victim to a heinous knife attack is ‘shocking’, brands Mansfield’s top police officer.

Nottinghamshire Police has responded to the ‘horrific’ injuries left to two colt’s at stables in Forest Town, and says they will do everything in their power to bring the attackers to justice.

Insp Nick Butler of Nottinghamshire Police said: “This is a shocking incident, not least for the horses and their owners. It’s hard to imagine how anyone could be this cruel.

“The injuries caused were horrific and required the emergency treatment of a vet. I’ve spoken with the owners and reassured them that we will do all we can to catch the people responsible and bring them to justice.

“It is crucial we find whoever was responsible for causing those injuries as soon as we possibly can. Somebody, somewhere will have heard something and I urge anyone with information about this incident to please call us with any information, no matter how insignificant it seems, as it may be the piece in the jigsaw we are missing.”

The owners of two male horses, both around a year old, contacted the Chad after they discovered the terrible ‘slashes’ across their backs, allegedly dealt by a blade after opening all the gates of the stables to let them roam free.

There is no inclination as to the motive behind the attack

Rio and Flash, kept at Forest Town Allotments off Newlands Road, were left with foot-long open wounds across their backs, both just above their right legs.

And after the vicious attack, the owners are left wondering how anyone could hurt them in such a malicious manner for no reason.

Flash’s owner Audra Hall said she was devastated.

The owners and family were supporting a vet who gave the horses treatment yesterday.

She said: “My daughter was sorting them out this morning when she saw them and phoned us and said ‘the horses have been slashed’,” she said.

“Everything went through my head, and when I saw the horses my heart stopped. How cruel can somebody be?”

The keen horse-rider bought Rio at only three months old with a view to preparing him for riding.

Her daughter Danielle Hall said she was in a ‘pure panic’ when she first found the horses out of their stables at Forest Town Allotments off Newlands Road,

Vet Lorna Sowerbutts cleans Rio's wounds.

“Somebody had let them out onto the fields - when I came down I could see he had a gash on his side, and I was in a panic to get them back in.”

Rio’s owner, Leanne Hammond, of 4th Avenue, near the site, said her horse is incredibly friendly, and both owners said it was so ‘cruel’ that someone abused their good nature and trust to get close to them.

“They’ve got such good temperaments, they’re usually so friendly and they go up to anyone. They’ve been so calm throughout this,” she said.

Lynne’s husband Johnny was along to help look after the horses while they received treatment.

He said the evidence showed someone had avoided a guard dog at the stables and opened all the gates to let the horses onto the field.

He added: “I hope the police catch them before I get my hands on them.”

Audra Hall, with her horse Flash after the young colt suffered a cruel knife attack.

Both 11-month old Rio and 14-month-old Flash were sedated and given treatment this morning.

Vet Lorna Sowerbutts of Home Farm Equine said the slashes were deep, cutting through multiple layers of skin and exposing muscle. And as both the locations were the same, this implied the attackers were too scared to get any closer to the animals.

She added: “There could be complications with the healing if the wounds become infected.

“I don’t usually encounter this kind of thing. Animal cruelty isn’t so common because people generally like animals and are aware enough. What’s more common is neglect”, she said, referring to the widespread issue of fly-grazing - the illegal dumping of horses on private land, often as they are moved around the country but also as many are abandoned due to the costs of looking after them.”